7.92 MM 42 boxer primed brass?

[Wayne Smith]

I recently bought some 8mm Mauser brass from a member - with the above headstamp. These primers have to be knocked out with a 1/16" punch and several strikes with my kenetic bullet puller. My Hornaday dies wouldn't touch these primers. On several the primer was so tight it didn't move and punch punched a hole in it. In addition they are very hard to size, I would guess machine gun fired.

Who was making boxer primed 8mm brass in '42?

[303carbine]

Your brass may be boxer primed with staked primers and could have double flash holes, that would make it impossible to decap without breaking the pin.
Lots of makers made 7.92 mm brass in 42, it's a tough call without more info.

[Adam Helmer]

Wayne,

The U.S. and Canada made Boxer Primed 8MM ammo in WWII. I had a case of U.S. Boxer primed Ball made in 1944. I shot it off and easily deprimed and swaged the primer pockets for many reloads. I forget who made the ammo and all the cases are long gone. I would not bother with 70+ year old brass these days with so much new, commercial brass available.

Adam

[SOFMatchstaff]

I have a lot of this ammo, It is marked 7.92--MM -- 42 or 44 in a 120 degree pattern. It came from crates marked in Hebrew script. I believe it was contract sourced from Portugal in 1965 or so. It is crimped primer,but other than that it loads well. Its been 30 years since I got it, so this is from memory. Also, the book shows it as unknown, so there might be some deniability associated with the contract info, ?? The FNM stuff I have stashed is Identical except for the headstamp, even the powder..

[Wayne Smith]

I had no idea what I was getting when I got it, and Graff's is backordered on Privi - so I'll work on what I have. I figure that depriming, resizing to 9.3mm, and annealing, I'll get some useable brass. At least until Graff's gets the Privi back in.

So, this might not actually be '42 brass? Thats interesting.

Yes, these primers are crimped, but are also very tight.

[Outpost75]

In addition to WW2 production for supply to resistance groups for use in captured weapons, production continued through the Cold War era into the late 1960s. A great deal was loaded in Canada by Dominion Arsenal Quebec, and in the US by WRA, FA and Remington. Most had sterile headstamp. Both IMR4895 and WC852 powders were used. WW2 production was corrosive primed, after about 1953 production changed to noncorrosive.

[Multigunner]

Besides 7.92X57 ammo loaded for sale to China the British developed a 7.92 tank MG based on a Czech design called the BESA, I think it saw some use on aircraft as well.

[SOFMatchstaff]

I originally got it to run in a FND Bar and then started to use the fired brass to make 9x57. then found that it was easier to just fire it in the 9x57 chamber, viola , ready to load.

the original load is 47gr of an IMR type powder, a 150gr ball seated .200 deep to a cannelure. strange cannelure as it is a knurl cross hatched pattern instead of what we normally see as a straight rolled line. primer is boxer, single hole and decaps normally in my RCBS die. originally 44 to a paper box , no markings on the paper except the price, $5.25. wishing I could find some more at that rate...

[desi23]

At one time there was quite a lot of this ammo around, it was believed to be Canadian contract ammo for years. More recent research indicates it was more likely made up during the cold war era using false headstamps to disguise it's origin. Questions about it pop up fairly regularly on the International Ammo Association forum.
I have a bit of it myself as well as the similarly stamped 9MM ammo, believed to be from the same source. Supposedly it is non-corrosive but I have always cleaned as though it wasn't. I have used a LEE hand tool to de-prime mine and never had any issues de-capping. They are durable, case life has been very good. I always keep an eye open for any at gun shows and buy it if the price is reasonable.

[Wayne Smith]

This is what I am talking about. Those are two of three 1/16" punches that I have destroyed on these shells and the last one is the one on which I gave up. Punches are costing me more than the brass is worth! The punches are all American made, too.

[CHeatermk3]

Wayne, if you're seeking 8x57 Mauser brass powder valley has it in stock:

http://www.powdervalleyinc.com/

Also have 9.3x62.
HTH

[LAGS]

I had some that had a really heavy crimp like that ine time.
I made a Special Punch to get the primers out.
I made it out of a peice of rod that was turned down on my poor mans Lathe.
A hole was drilled in the end and a short section of an old broken drill bit that was the same size as the Flash hole was inserted as the Pin.
The Drill or pin was only about 3/8" long, so it could not flex and bend like your tapered punches did.
I used the deprimer cup off a Lee Wack A Mole set to do the depriming in.

[Wayne Smith]

Thanks for the mention of Powder Valley, I'd not thought to look there. Thanks for the link, that made it easy. 100 cases ordered. I might get this project going faster than I thought - it is a 9.3x57 though, not a x62

A 'poor man's lathe' is more than I have - I do woodwork and have a couple of wood lathes - not accurate enough for that - locating and drilling a hole in the end of a drill rod.

[desi23]

I use the decapper out of an old LEE hand tool to de-cap all military brass. It's tip is shorter and more rigid than a pin punch. Haven't broken one in years and gets out even the tough crimped in primers with out issue.

[NuJudge]

That's Canadian. I've shot a lot of it. It came in through Interarms. I reloaded the brass, and didn't have much trouble with the primers. I converted a lot to 7.65 Argentine.

[Outpost75]

After WW2 millions of the leftover in-process cases in Canada were shipped to FA. Some was later loaded under contract for military assistance for the USAID by Remington or at LC, small lots for "other" purposes by FA. Much of what was shipped from Canada postwar was unloaded, unprimed, no headstamp. At that time it was common to ring crimp and headstamp on the priming machine. I have seen these assembled both ball and tracer types with various headstamps in Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, etc. Most often plain brown boxes, but I have seen British type tear-strip tins of linked pack in wood crates with rope handles.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Powder Valley also carries Prvi brass.

[Mauser48]

If you really want the brass i would try drilling out the primers. I would try to find some 8mm or resize some 30-06 first.

[JeffinNZ]

Most of my .303 brass is 1943 vintage from Canada and BETTER quality than modern.

[Jagdhund]

At one time there was quite a lot of this ammo around, it was believed to be Canadian contract ammo for years. More recent research indicates it was more likely made up during the cold war era using false headstamps to disguise it's origin. Questions about it pop up fairly regularly on the International Ammo Association forum.
I have a bit of it myself as well as the similarly stamped 9MM ammo, believed to be from the same source. Supposedly it is non-corrosive but I have always cleaned as though it wasn't. I have used a LEE hand tool to de-prime mine and never had any issues de-capping. They are durable, case life has been very good. I always keep an eye open for any at gun shows and buy it if the price is reasonable.

Me too. The Lee decapper can be purchased separately the last I knew. It is very handy for old arsenal brass with the heavy crimp. The only time I have broken one was when I foolishly tried to pry out a Berdan primer with one.

[azrednek]

Wayne,

The U.S. and Canada made Boxer Primed 8MM ammo in WWII. I had a case of U.S. Boxer primed Ball made in 1944. I shot it off and easily deprimed and swaged the primer pockets for many reloads. I forget who made the ammo and all the cases are long gone. I would not bother with 70+ year old brass these days with so much new, commercial brass available. Adam


Friend of mine had some US made WW2 dated 8MM Mauser. It was mid or late 70's, we were both some what new to shooting and hand loading. The 7.92 on the headstamp confused us and a member of our gun collector's club set us straight about 7.92 and 8MM designations.

From what we were told and bear in mind it was years ago. The US arsenal mfd ammo was made for and supposedly air dropped to Tito's partisans. Guess what my friend picked up at a gun show didn't make the trip overseas or possibly sold back to a US surplus merchant after the war.

I do recall my friend did reload some of the ammo but been way to many years to recall any details.

[bruce drake]

"poor man's lathe" - drill press or hand drill.

Don't forget with hunting season just around the corner that your local gun club will be awash in 30-06 and 270 Winchester brass shortly. Trim to 57mm and then reform in your sizing die...